National Conference on Smart Urban Planning and Development kicks off

Kathmandu, Nov 2: A two-day national conference on smart urban planning and development has started in Kathmandu.     

Speakers at the conference organised by the Nepal PhD Association in collaboration with various government and non-government organisations, discussed the necessary policies and regulations required to advance systematic urbanisation and the practices followed in different countries.     

On the occasion, Vice Chancellor of Nepal University, Dr Bindunath Lohani, said that special attention should be given to necessary infrastructure, transportation, environment, and pollution control when developing smart cities. He stressed that smart cities should incorporate air, water, solar energy, and the like.     

Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Urban Development, Navaraj Pyakurel, stated that the government has formulated urban policies and is working towards their implementation.     

"The problem arises when plans and policies are made but not implemented," he said and expressed the commitment that the Ministry would accept the suggestions given by the conference and move forward.     

Commissioner Januka Dhakal of the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority (KVDA) said that the cities had previously been built without study and expressed confidence that suggestions and feedback from such conferences would help in the construction of future smart cities.     

She said that the KVDA was established in 2012 with the aim of building a smart city.     

Prof Dr Lekhnath Sharma, Chairman of the Policy Research Institute, stated that while constructing a smart city, attention should be paid to whether old things can be transformed into new ones or not. He emphasised that urban policy should be implemented effectively.     

Former Minister Ganesh Shah said it is necessary to raise awareness among the people's representatives at all three levels about the construction of smart cities. He stated that maximum use of local resources is essential when building smart cities.     

Representative of UN-Habitat, Pragya Pradhan and representative of WWF, Dr Ghanashyam Gurung, among the speakers, said that long-term plans are necessary for sustainable urban development. They emphasised that a 'water recharge system' should be the top priority of a smart city.     

Dr Sunil Babu Shrestha, president of the Nepal PhD Association, stated that urbanisation has been rapidly increasing in Nepal recently and that there is a need for the necessary policies and plans for it.     

He said that currently 56 percent of people in Nepal live in urban areas, and urban policies should be implemented and advanced by everyone from the central to the local government.     

Dr Shrestha maintained that the suggestions from the two-day conference would be issued as the Kathmandu Declaration, adding the Kathmandu Declaration would be implemented.(RSS)